The Bridge to Terabithia: What Happened After
by LuvtoWrite
Summary: How Jess deals with what happened at the end of the book.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own any of the characters!! lol D**

Jesse Arons leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. In his minds eye he could see Leslie kneeling in the pine circle trying to sound like a mighty queen. He could see her swinging across the creek and into the threshold below. He could see her saying, "Let's call it…Terabithia."

Leslie. Hardly a day went by when Jess didn't think of her. Of course, the pain had mostly gone away by now…..but that didn't bring her back.

Jess opened his eyes to see May Belle looking up at him.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"That's no way to talk to the princess of Terabithia. I was wondering if you knew that the Scoagers were attacking," May Belle said ruefully. Jesse smiled and hopped out of the tree.

"Let's get 'em," he said grabbing his sword from the ground. He and May Belle fought all the foes that had come to try to steal Terabithia away from them. It was almost like having Leslie back. Almost. But not quite.

Jess was now thirteen. He felt slightly childish for still playing in Terabithia, but he couldn't abandon it. It was his and May Belle's place to be free of everything. It was the place where he felt Leslie most.

"Come on, May Belle, we've gotta get back home before Dad has a fit," Jess said.

"Aw, Jess! We just got here!" May Belle protested. Jess knew how she felt. He had had the same feeling since Leslie and him first discovered Terabithia.


	2. Chapter 2

. He had had the same feeling since Leslie and him first discovered Terabithia. Nonetheless, they needed to go home. Jess took May Belle's hand and set off across the bridge.

"Dang it!" Jess said suddenly stopping.

"What is it?" May Belle asked, quite alarmed.

"I left my paints back there. You go on home, I'll be there in a sec," Jess said turning back to Terabithia.

"You're a liar, Jesse Arons!"

"I'll catch up to you later!" Jess was already halfway back. He ran as fast as his feet would take him; it had been a long time since he had run with determination.

"Where did I put them?" he asked himself looking up in the tree he had been in earlier. The paints were perched on a thick branch. Jess sighed. He really didn't feel like climbing up there but…..

"Oof!" he grunted as he climbed up and up. Finally he got to his paints and lightly tossed them down into a bush.

When he got back down on the ground he had an urge. He wanted to run like he had when he was eleven. He wanted to feel the wind rushing through his hair and watering his eyes. So he did. He ran like he never ran before. Around the trees, deep into the forest, near the pine circle….._everywhere_.

"I would have a hard time beating that," a voice said startling Jess to the point of stopping.

"May Belle, I told you to go home," he said annoyed. The voice laughed.

"May Belle? Since when have you confused me with May Belle?"

Jess froze. He knew that laugh….he knew that voice. But it couldn't be…..could it?

"Leslie?" he asked softly.

"Finally caught on have you? Good job, Jess!" Jess shook his head. He was having hallucinations. Leslie was dead. Gone. So why was he hearing her voice?

"Hello in there?" she asked.

"Where….where are you?" Jess asked, now trembling.

"Up here. You can see all of Terabithia from up here," she said from above. Jess looked up and nearly shouted. Leslie was sitting in the tree he had just gotten his paints out of. She smiled down at him. Everything about her was the same. The sarcasm, the smile that lit up her whole face, and the long graceful body.

Jess didn't know what to do. This was too weird.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N hi! I'm sorry the chapters are so short. The main reason I'm doing this is since I have written so little on it, I dont want you guys to have to wait ages for me to post the next part. Hope you enjoy!**

"What's wrong?" Leslie asked hopping out of the tree.

"You're dead," Jess said bluntly.

"No, I'm not. I'm right here," Leslie said frowning. Jess was still looking at her warily.

"Leslie, my parents told me three years ago that the rope swing broke. You fell into the creek and….and drowned," Jess said. It was the first time he had ever said it.

"They must've been lying then," Leslie said cheerfully.

"Leslie, they weren't lying! I went over to your house. Everyone was crying….it…it was horrible!"

Leslie stared at him for a long time.

"I never knew you had so much imagination, Jess," she finally said a smile breaking through.

"But, I'm not imagining things," Jesse protested.

"Come on, let's go to the tree house," Leslie said, no longer paying attention to Jess's feeble attempts to prove himself.

Jess so wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe he had made up the last three years. He wanted to believe he had just gotten back from the museum and had come straight away to Terabithia with Leslie. He wanted to believe that he was still ten. But he couldn't. He was past the age of making things up.

"I can't, Leslie. I have to go home. I promised May Belle."

"I'll come with you then," Leslie said cheerfully.

"But…ok, sure. Did you see what happened to my paints?" Jess said still slightly confused.

"Oh, sorry, I picked them up for you. Here they are," Leslie said pulling them out of her pocket.

"Thanks…Ok, come on, let's go."

Jess was in a daze the whole way back to his house. He vaguely answered Leslie's question about the rope swing.

"Jess, what took you so long?" May Belle asked running up to him when he walked into the house.

"I….I met Leslie," Jess whispered.

"You mean another Leslie?" May Belle asked her voice as loud as ever.

"No. I mean Leslie Leslie. Leslie Burke," Jess whispered.

"Leslie's dead," May Belle screeched. Could she ever be quiet? Jess was sure he was never that loud when he was her age.

" How come she can't see me?" Leslie asked anxiously.

"I already told you, you're dead," Jess said for the tenth time.

"Why you talkin' to air, Jess?" May Belle asked.

"I don't know, May Belle!"

Jess stalked up to his room and then turned to face Leslie.

"I wish you really were back," he said quietly.

"Jess, I'm so confused!" Leslie said and she seemed near to tears now.

"So am I! I haven't seen you in three years and all of a sudden you came back in Terabithia and….I don't know what…." Jess let his statement hang in the air.

"If I really am dead, then why am I here?" Leslie finally asked.

"I don't know but I hope you stay," Jess said smiling somewhat.

"But no one can see me!" Leslie shouted.

"Sh!" Jess hissed, forgetting for a moment that he was the only one who could see her.

"Let's go to Terabithia. It'll help us," Leslie said, her eyes lighting up just like they used to.

"It's almost dinner," Jess said hesitantly.

"We'll be back before then," Leslie said hopping off the bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Jess, however much he tried to convince himself that she wasn't real, was overjoyed to see Leslie again. Even if she was only part of his imagination, she was once again all his. He could talk to her again, he could laugh with her again….who cared if everyone thought he was crazy in the process.

"Leslie, wait up," he said reaching out to grab her arm. To his surprise, his hand sank right through her.

"Leslie, you're like," Jess searched for the right word, "air," he finally said a bit lamely.

"I know. But be quiet. I have an idea," Leslie said before hurrying on. After a few minutes, the two were back in Terabithia. Leslie was pacing up and down and Jess was sitting on a tree stump and watching her.

"Ok, I think I understand!" she finally proclaimed. Jess stood up.

"So, what is it?"

"Not here. We must go to the sacred grove," Leslie whispered.

"As you wish, O Queen," Jess said solemnly. The Jess of earlier had disappeared completely. He was now once again a ruler of Terabithia with Leslie.

"O, spirits!" Leslie began in a powerful voice. "Beseech me thou, that thou will let me stay on in your presence."

"Their presence?" Jess whispered.

"Be quiet. You'll anger them," Leslie whispered back. The two were quiet for a long time. Finally Leslie said, "They will allow me to stay. Can you hear them?"

Jess nodded serenely.

Leslie nodded her thanks and then left the sacred grove; Jesse at her heels.

"What was all that about?" Jess asked.

"I figure, since I died in Terabithia, my soul would remain in Terabithia. Go on, touch me again," Leslie prompted. Jess frowned but did as he was told. He placed his hand on Leslie's shoulder. It was human flesh again.

"This is too weird," Jess said.

"I know," Leslie agreed but in a delightful tone.

"So as long as you're in Terabithia….you're alive?" Jess asked. Leslie smiled.

"It seems like that." Jess smiled and hugged her. Leslie awkwardly returned it.

**Thanks for the reviews guys!!!! **


	5. Chapter 5

"So, now that I'm back, what should we do?" Leslie asked regaining her queenly posture.

"You've been away many a long moon. I have done the best I can to defend our country, but in vain. I am weak, o Queen," the king replied.

"I will strengthen you, King. Do not give up hope, for we shall once again rule a free country. Pick up your sword and prepare to fight," the Queen said valiantly.

The children ran around the country and fought like true rulers. After ten minutes, or it could have been an hour, they leaned against a tree breathing heavily.

"We have prevailed," Leslie panted. Jess laughed. First it was just a chuckle but it turned into a full bellied laugh. Soon he had Leslie laughing with him, though she had no idea why he was laughing.

"I'm so glad your back," Jess finally said.

It was late when Jess finally remembered that he was supposed to be home. He ran as fast as he could, leaving Leslie waving goodbye to him at the bridge.

Jess crept silently in the house; trying to avoid making much noise. Perhaps his parents would think he had been watching TV the whole time. His wishful thinking got him nowhere, however and when Jess came into the kitchen he was facing his father who looked angry.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, sorry, I would've put this up sooner but yesterday my computer was being _extremely_ stupid and wasn't working. So maybe I'll post up 2 chapters today. D**

**Hope you enjoy! **

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"Where were you?" his father asked raising an eyebrow threateningly. Jess coiled under his father's icy stare.

"I've been…out. You know, in the-"

"You know you're not supposed to be out this late! How many times have we told you not to leave the house after dark!?" his father bellowed.

"I'm…I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again," Jess said quietly. His father's face softened a little. He placed a hand on Jess's shoulder and said,

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know, Dad."

"Your mother has some left over dinner in the kitchen." Jess paused and waited to see if any further instruction came from his dad.

"Go on, boy! You need to start eating!" his dad said laughing slightly. Jess smiled and ran into the kitchen. His mother frowned at him but said nothing. She just nodded towards a plate on the table. Jess greedily grabbed it.

"You gonna make Momma and Dad keel over and die if you keep sneaking out like that," Brenda sneered and Ellie nodded in agreement.

"I didn't sneak out," Jess said quietly.

"Than what were you doing out then?" Ellie asked.

"I don't remember that being any of your business," Jess snapped.

"If ya'll can't sit at the blasted dinner table without fighting I don't know what I'm gonna do to you!" their mother shouted. Her face was red and she resembled a giant tomato. Jess forced a laugh back down, put his dishes away, and headed up stairs before he could get any more lectures.

When he got to his room, he dug out his drawing books for the first time in ages. His crayons were caked with dust and his paper was curling at the edges. He flipped through a few of his old drawings. What he saw made him smile with pleasure. Without really thinking, he picked up a red crayon and began to draw. He drew a giant tomato with tiny arms and legs and a huge mouth.

"Whatchu doin' Jess?" May Belle asked coming into the room.

"Drawing," came Jess's curt reply. He was now adding the finer details of him and his sisters who were cowering in fear. May Belle leaned over and looked at the picture.

"Why do you draw such stupid things?" she asked.

"Why are you so rude all of a sudden?" Jess replied glaring at her.

May Belle's face looked sullen and somewhat angry. Jess was surprised, she never usually got mad at him.

"May Belle, what's wrong?" he asked setting aside his drawing things.

"You went to Terabithia without me. Why'd you do that for, Jess?" she asked and looked close to tears.

Jess stared at her; his face was blank but his mind was reeling. _May Belle, I forgot about May Belle! Now what am I going to do…._

"Look, I'm sorry. I was just….just thinking and…had an….urge," Jess said toying around with his words.

"I bet you were thinking about Leslie! She's the only one you _ever_ think about, Jess! What. About. Me," May Belle sobbed. Jess felt awful. He pulled her into a one armed hug and said,

"I'm sorry, May Belle. It's just….hard."

"But it's been three years!" May Belle said indignantly.

"So? What if Billy Jean died? Would you forget her in a hurry?" Jess asked, somewhat harshly and reminding him forcibly of his father.

"I would just make another friend," May Belle said simply. Jess shook his head. He knew it was useless trying to explain to May Belle how hard it was to lose someone you loved. How hard it was to feel a gaping hole inside of you and to be trapped in a world without that someone with no escape. He knew he wouldn't have understood it either if Leslie hadn't….

But all that didn't matter. He wasn't trapped in a lonely world anymore because she was back. She was once again all his.

He snapped back to focus to see May Belle still staring at him.

"It's not as easy as all that," he said quietly.

"Well, _I _wouldn't confine myself to my room for hours on end. And _I _wouldn't cry."

Jess was ready to banish her from Terabithia.

"Get. Out," he said menacingly.

"I was only-"

"I said GET OUT!" Jess shouted. May Belle looked at him, terrified before running out of the room.

Jess, in an attempt to calm himself began drawing again but he found he couldn't because his hands were shaking so badly. Finally, in annoyance, he slammed his drawing book shut, pushed it under his bed, and pulled the bed covers over his head.


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay, my chapters are getting a bit longer. lol! Thanx soooo much for the reviews, you guys, it makes me want to continue. lol! Thanx for reading!**

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**Jess woke very early the next morning and he didn't know why. His dad's pickup was still there and usually he didn't wake until after his dad left. Groggily, he rubbed his eyes. As his vision cleared he saw someone in his bedroom. Somewhat frightened he stood up, prepared to fight. As soon as he saw who it was, he let himself relax. It was Leslie. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," she said smiling.

"Why are you here? I thought you had to stay in Terabithia," Jess said climbing back into bed.

"It's not as good when you're by yourself. I figured I'd come and visit you. I can be like your….like your friend in a pocket!" Leslie proclaimed excitedly.

"You're not in my pocket," Jess yawned.

"Do you _ever _think outside the box?"

"Not…not when I'm a…a…asleep," Jess said stifling another yawn. Leslie rolled her transparent eyes.

"Oh, come on, get up!" Leslie said.

"Leslie," Jess stated matter of factly, "you, now that you're….you know…gone. I'm guessing you don't have to sleep anymore either. I'm not dead and I need to sleep," he finished and enunciated the last four words forcefully. Leslie huffed at him.

"Fine. I'm going to go down to my old house and see what's left of it. Come and get me when you're done _sleeping_," Leslie said.

"Yeah, ok," Jess said sleepily. After two seconds he was once again in a deep slumber.

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Hours later, he awoke to find sunlight streaming into his face. 

"Ugg," he said trying to shield his eyes. When his vision finally cleared he could see May Belle who had just entered into the room.

"Momma says to get your butt out of bed," May Belled said before hurrying out of the room, clearly scared that Jess would yell at her again.

"May Belle!" Jess said, calling her back in.

"What?" she asked surly.

"I'm sorry I yelled yesterday."

"I'm sorry I was rude," May Belle said hanging her head in shame. Jess gave her a one armed hug.

"You're great, May Belle." May Belle laughed and went downstairs. After a few seconds, Jess got up and followed her.

"Lord, Jess, what is up with you? Why are you getting up so late?" his mother asked as she put a bowl of oatmeal in front of him.

"I…was tired," Jess said before grabbing a huge spoonful of oatmeal.

"Sure. I'll bet you sneaked out early to go out again," Ellie said mockingly.

Jess slammed his spoon against the table and turned to face his older sister.

"Do you ever stop talking?" he asked.

"I'll stop talking when you start being normal."

"I WON'T HAVE THIS!" screamed their mother.

"Ellie, you go to your room. Everyone else, I don't care where you go just…GO!" Jess angrily stomped out of the house. He seemed to be getting mad at everything lately. He blamed it on Ellie and Brenda.

"Leslie?" he called out when he reached the old Perkins place.

"Leslie?" he asked again when there was no reply. There was nothing else for it, he went inside.

The walls were old and musty smelling, the paint cracked and dry. The hardwood floors were creaking and cobwebs clustered around the corners in walls.

"Leslie?" he called again, but softer this time. It seemed as though if he shouted the house would collapse on top of him. He let his feet climb the familiar path to the golden room. He had helped paint that room and was interested to see what was left of it. To his surprise, the room remained seemingly new. The paint shone, perhaps not as bright as it once had, but still it shined. Jess glanced around and saw Leslie sitting against the wall with her hands around her knees.

"Leslie?" he said for the fourth time. She looked up and Jess could see her face streaked with tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked sitting down next to her. Leslie didn't speak for a moment but finally murmured, "They're gone."

"You think they would've stayed?" Jess asked laughing quietly.

"I thought they liked it here. When did they move?"

"Right after you died." Leslie stared at him. Jess knew his words were playing around in her mind and she struggled to comprehend them.

"So why did they come here for the first place?" Leslie finally asked.

"For you I guess," Jess said carefully. Leslie seemed as though she were about to explode; into tears or anger, he couldn't tell. She took a shaky breath.

"I guess….I guess if I was a grown up I would've done the same thing. I don't know what I was expecting really," she said quietly, but not madly.

"They loved you," Jess said quickly.

"Well, _that_ much was obvious. You think I didn't know that?" Leslie asked rolling her eyes. Jess laughed as he stood up.

"Come on, let's go do something," he said reaching his hand down to help her up.

"I'm not solid, smarty," Leslie said ignoring his hand and standing up of her own accord.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! Ok, so _I_ personally don't like this chapter but it's the only thing I have right now. So, do please tell me if this part is perfectly horrible or not. ;-D Thanx for reading!

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Right as they reached the front door it blasted open. Two burly men came striding in; one with a enormous moustache and the other with a very round pudgy nose.

Leslie motioned for Jess to run up the stairs but he was too late.

"You, kid! Whatchu doin' down 'ere?" the man with the moustache asked angrily.

"I'm…..er…nothing. I'm just…hanging out," Jess said nervously.

"This 'ere is private property, this is. Whatchu think yer doin' trespassing'?"

Jess quickly said, "Mr. Burke, the previous owner, said I could use whatever I found up here."

"Yah, well Mr. Burke, the previous owner," the pudgy nosed man said mockingly, " 'as given us orders to tear the place up." Jess stared at him for a moment, quite puzzled.

"They can't rip down this place!" Leslie said, sounding quite annoyed.

"You can't rip down this place," Jess said copying Leslie.

"We gots the papers right 'ere," the moustache man said waving them in front of Jess's face.

"Tell them to get out of here before they get caught trespassing," Leslie said angrily. Jess opened his mouth to say something to that effect but then said, "They'd kill me for that and they'd probably call the cops on _me_."

"I'll bet they're just some no good robbers who don't-" Leslie started out but was cut off by Pudgy Nose.

"Who you talkin' to, boy?" he asked Jess suspiciously. Jess cast around hopelessly for an answer.

"The ghosts. You're talking to the ghosts," Leslie said bouncing up and down on the soles of her feet.

"They won't go for that," Jess said, ignoring the looks of incredibility on the two men's faces.

"Trust me. These are the kind of folks who'll go for anything."

"I'm talking to the ghosts who inhabit the place," Jess said.

"There ain't no such things as ghosts," Moustache Man said scathingly.

"Can't you hear them?" Jess asked with a look of believable pity on his face. He had timed it perfectly. At that moment there was a huge gust of wind that slammed the door shut.

Jess looked over at Leslie who had a slight look of shock on her face. Pudgy Nose quickly crossed himself as Jess had seen all the nuns do. Then Moustache Man said fearfully, "We is sorry to disturb your ghostly presences. We'll be leavin' now."

Quietly the men turned and walked frightfully out. Jess could hear them saying,

"We can't blow it up now, and for sure it won't never sell for nothing'……."

"Jess, you're brilliant!" Leslie exclaimed.

"You're the one that thought up the whole ghost thing," Jess said sheepishly.

"But _you're _the one that made it believable!" Leslie exclaimed proudly. Jess grinned and held the door open for her, which had closed again.


	9. Chapter 9

Days passed and Jess found himself constantly staying with Leslie. He hardly went home; only to eat and to sleep. The rest of the time he was out in Terabithia with Leslie and occasionally May Belle would come along. May Belle, for some reason, couldn't see Leslie clearly, though she pretended to in order to try to make Jess happy. Jess knew she was pretending and that was ok with him. In a way he was glad that _he_ was the only one that could see Leslie.

Spring break was nearly over and Jess was determined to enjoy every minute of his last school free days. It was towards the middle of the afternoon when Jess, having just come back from Terabithia, noticed there was a car parked in front of the old Perkins place. There was a boy sitting on the trunk of the car that was looking towards the house with a sorrowful expression on his face. Jess waved hello before jogging into the kitchen and grabbing the peanut butter sandwich is mom had made for him.

"Who's over at the house?" May Belle asked, her voice sticky with peanut butter.

"I don't know. But I'm gonna go check it out," Jess said glancing out the window.

Within five minutes he was bolting out the door again and stealthily creeping over to the Perkins place.

"Sir, it's 'aunted I tell you. Are you sure you wanna go through with it?" Jess could hear a voice that sounded remarkably like Moustache Man's talking.

"Yes, quite sure. It's wonderful," a different voice said.

"Ai'ght then. We'll be back with the papers tomorrow," Moustache Man said.

"Thank you." Jess crept closer so her could see the front of the house and the boy again.

"Hi," the boy said hopping off the car and walking over to Jess.

"Hey," Jess said casually.

"So you live over there?" the boy asked pointing to Jess's house.

"Obviously," Jess said.

"Sorry, just trying to make conversation," the boy said laughing.

"You guys buying this place?" Jess asked.

"I hope not. I've never been much of the out-doorsey type," the boy said mournfully. Jess frowned. He had never met anyone who didn't like the out doors.

"How can you not like the out doors?" Jess asked in disbelief.

"What are you supposed to do? There's hardly any sidewalk…it's all dirt, and there's no kids for miles around….besides you of course."

"What ? Am I not good enough for you?" Jess asked angrily.

"Sorry, that came out wrong. I just meant….like…" the boy searched around for the right words but found nothing.

"Sorry," he said again.

"That's fine," Jess said, "See you later." Jess started back into the direction of Terabithia but then the boy ran after him.

"What's you name?" he asked Jess.

"Jess," replied Jess, "Yours?"

"Damien," the boy said holding out his hand. Jess shook it and then stood there until Damien left. But he wouldn't leave.

"What's the school here like?" Damien asked.

"I don't know…it's ok I guess."

"You don't talk much do you?" Damien said smiling.

"I talk plenty. But I have somewhere to be," Jess said, not returning the smile. He just wanted to go back to Terabithia.

"Can I come with you?" Damien asked.

"Well…." Jess said akwardly; he couldn't tell Damien about Terabithia...

"Jess! Momma says you hafta milk Bessie!" May Belle shouted from the house. Jess rolled his eyes.

"Coming!" he shouted back.

"Damien, time to go!" called Damien's father.

"Maybe I'll see you later," Damien said cheerfully to Jess before running back to his car. Jess watched him go and then ran to his own house.

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**Hey, thanx soo much for reviewing, and I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner. I've been busy...sorta...anyways, stop reading my note and tell me what you thought! Please:-D**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Hello all! Once again thanks so much for the reviews!

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As Jess sat milking Bessie someone came into the barn.

"Hi, Leslie," Jess said. Leslie sat down on a stool opposite from Jess and smiled.

"What happened? You didn't come," she said.

"I ran into a new kid," Jess said.

"Literally?" Leslie asked and laughed when Jess squirted milk at her.

"No, Leslie. Not literally. He seems ok though," Jess said after they had gotten over their peals of laughter.

"I think you should get to know him if he moves here," Leslie said in an off hand voice.

"Why?" Jess asked. He wasn't being rude he was generally curious on what Leslie had to say.

"Well, because it doesn't seem like you have many friends," she said avoiding his eyes.

"I have plenty of friends!" Jess protested.

"Name three," Leslie said lifting her eyebrows. Jess cast around, searching around in his mind.

"Janice Avery," he said; it was his turn to avert his eyes.

"Yeah, thanks to me," Leslie smirked, "Who else?"

"You."

"_I _don't count, seeing as you're the only one who can see me."

"Fine. I'm alone and friendless. Can we _drop the subject_?" Jess said annoyed.

"Why are you friendless? You're really cool," Leslie said.

"The truth is after you died, I found it pointless to get close to someone else and then have them ripped away from me as well," Jess said. Leslie was silent for a very long time before she said,

"I'm really sorry, Jess."

"It's not your fault you died….at least I don't think it is," Jess said looking worriedly at Leslie.

Leslie laughed.

"I didn't do it on purpose," she said.

"That's…a relief I must say. You don't….don't remember it I suppose?" asked Jess rather curiously.

Leslie frowned in concentration. Jess could see her green eyes widen in befuddlement.

"Actually, I think I do," she said softly. "And it's really odd, because it's like I can see everything, in whatever angle I want it to be in."

"So, what happened…from your point of view I mean?"

"Well, first let me start off with, did you have fun at the museum?" she asked. Jess stared at her.

"Y…yes. I wanted to bring you with me but…." Jess stuttered.

"Jess, I wasn't accusing you. I understand about your little crush," Leslie said smiling sweetly. Jess smiled but let it slip off his face almost immediately. That day had haunted him for so long. If only he had invited Leslie to come….she wouldn't have died. She would still be living in the old Perkins place, and everyone would still be able to see her. If only….

"Jess, this wasn't your fault," Leslie said firmly.

"How do you know!?" Jess shouted.

"Because it was _fate_. Even if I had come with you, later we still would have gone to Terabithia. And if you had come, maybe it would have been you that died! Maybe the reason it happened to me is because you're going to do something great in the world. Maybe-"

"Or maybe I was just too stupid to realize that my music teacher wasn't the one I had a crush on," Jess said looking Leslie squarely in the eye. Leslie stared at him, her pretty mouth forming into a silent 'o' of disbelief.

"Say that again with a straight face," she commanded shakily.

Jess stared at her for a very long time before slamming the milk bucket onto the ground and running out of the barn.

"Jess!?" Leslie called out, but it was too late. Jess was running up the street. Where he was going, he had no idea. He just had to get away. Why'd he have to say that? Why'd he have to tell her?

There was nothing left to do but keep running. He didn't care if Leslie could catch up to him….he just needed to leave her.

Finally Jess stopped. He wasn't sure how far he had run, but he didn't care either. He could feel tears leaking out of his closed eyes. The tears of sadness, happiness, anger….it all came out now. It had been a very long time since he had let out his emotions like this. He clenched his hands around his torn and now muddy jeans and choked back a sob.

"Jess?" a soft voice asked. In a way, Jess wanted to embrace her and scream at her all at the same time.

"Jess, I'm sorry," she said placing a hand on his shoulder. To both their surprise, it didn't sink through him but rested lightly on his shoulder.

"You…you don't have to be-" Jess started out.

"I shouldn't have brought it up…" Leslie said leaning down next to him. Jess looked into her bright green eyes and before he could stop himself, he kissed her.

Leslie gaped at him openly.

"Sorry," Jess muttered.

"No, no…you don't have to be sorry," Leslie whispered, still in shock.

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Duh, duh, duh!! Lol. Well, it might take a while until I get the next part up(so very sorry)

I hope you enjoyed!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story(well, Damien I own...) **

**A/N: sorry, I always forget to put that little note up there. Anyways...do go on and read please**

**P.S. I posted this chapter like a week ago and for some reason it still isn't showing up. So! Hopefully this is...um...see-able. ;D**

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"Sorry," Jess muttered.

"No, no…you don't have to be sorry," Leslie whispered, still in shock.

"How come I can touch you?" Jess suddenly asked.

"That was really random, Jess," Leslie said still looking at him in alarm.

"I know it was."

"I don't know why," she said biting her lip nervously. Jess knew that something was going on in her mind, something that she probably wouldn't tell him. He sighed and put his head in his hands. This day just wasn't getting very good…._Who am I kidding? _Jess asked himself. _I just kissed the girl of my dreams! I should be jumping for joy! _A halfhearted smile crept onto his lips.

"Jess," Leslie said suddenly standing up.

"What?" he asked grinning stupidly.

"Do you hear that?" Jess closed his eyes and listened. A faint rumbling sound was coming up from the road.

His eyes popped open and he stood up, quick as anything.

"My dad is going to kill me," he whispered. The sound was his dad's pick up truck.

"What do you mean?" Leslie asked.

"He nearly exploded on me yesterday, I don't want to think how much trouble I'll be in if I'm out again, especially this far away," Jess said turning and running into the direction of his house. Leslie stayed there, for reasons best known to herself. Jess reached his house with minutes to spare.

"Jess!" his mother called before he could get up the stairs.

"What?" Jess asked, his left foot frozen in mid air.

"Before you get upstairs, I want to talk to you about something."

Jess hesitated and then walked back to the kitchen; to disobey his mom was like setting fire to a whole forest. Not a good thing to do.

"What?" Jess asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"I've been watching you lately. I'm….._concerned,_" his mother said slowly.

"Mom, I'm fine," Jess protested.

"Jess you're _talking _to….well, to something. And I've heard you mention Leslie's name several times." Jess stopped breathing.

"I know her death was hard on you…but, I think you need to let go."

Jess slammed his fist against the table and shouted, "She's not dead!"

"Jesse…." Jess's father came through the front door in time to see Jess storming up the stairs and to hear him slam his bedroom door.

"Puberty, I say," Mr. Aarons said shrugging.

"It is _not _puberty! Jess, something is wrong with our son, and I'm determined to find out what it is," Mrs. Aarons said angrily to her husband.

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**Hello everyone! I know that chapter was really lame and had absolutley NO point to it buuuuut, I need to get _somewhere_. Lol. It's like I know exactly what happens at the end but I need to get to that point somehow...not very easy. **

**And I know you guys all like Jess and Leslie together(so do I) but I'm just warning you now, that that is not how I planned the story from the begining. They'll be together for a while buuuut...I probably shouldn't say more in case I give the whole story away...yeah. Ok well, now this is just random talking of mine (sorry) So please review because that honestly keeps me going. Thank you guys a million times over!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

Jess leaned against his bed angrily. "Did you hear all that?" he asked, hoping Leslie would be there.

She was.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it," Leslie advised.

"How can I not? If I'm not careful, they'll send me to some rehab something…" Jess said.

"Do you even know what that means?" Leslie asked laughing.

"Course I do," Jess mumbled; he wasn't in the mood to laugh.

"Look, Jess. Once school starts again, everything will go back to normal," Leslie said looking Jess straight in the eye.

"But I don't want it to go back to normal," Jess whispered. "I want you to stay."

"Did I say I was leaving? Come on, don't look so dejected. Everything will be all right, I promise," Leslie said encouragingly. Jess sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Leslie was gone and his room was bathed in sunlight. He had obviously fallen asleep, which was odd. But the past few weeks had been odd, so it wasn't something new.

"Momma, please give us some money for _something_," Jess heard Brenda shriek as though she was in agony.

"Fine! Go to town with your friends! You can each buy one thing," his mother shouted back.

He heard his sister's shouts of joy and the front door close. Jess swung his legs over his bed and then walked downstairs.

"Jess-" his mother started.

"Morning," Jess said before heading out of the house quickly. Now was not the time he wanted to be bombarded with concerns about his abnormal behavior. It wasn't his fault that Leslie only came back to him. It wasn't his fault that he was the only one who could see her. It wasn't his fault! None of it! Before he could have time to dwell on any of his other thoughts, a car parked in the driveway of Leslie's old house, caught his eye. It was a big moving van. Obviously that Damien kid was moving in. He cautiously headed over there, aware that his hair was extremely untidy. As he got closer he saw someone sitting on the fence that surrounded the place. It was Leslie. She had her legs dangling over the side and was looking quite bored as she watched the progression of moving boxes. When she saw Jess she waved happily to him. Jess waved back and then nearly hit himself. Damien's dad and thought he'd been waving to him and had waved back.

"Hi, Jess!" Damien shouted, hopping out of the van.

"Hi, Damien," Jess said half heartedly.

"So, we're actually moving. It may not be nice out here, but think of the fun we'll have!" Damien said as he walked over to Jess.

"Yeah, fun."

"Have you explored the woods around here…" Damien started talking at high speed, seemingly unaware that Jess wasn't paying attention. Jess glanced over at Leslie and saw she was doubled in laughter. Jess made a face at her, but was smiling nonetheless.

"Hey, you two," Damien's dad said walking up.

"My name's Mr. Crawford," he said holding out a hand to shake with Jess. Jess hesitantly shook it. Mr. Crawford leaned down closer to him and whispered, "You haven't heard any stories about _ghosts_ have you?" Then he laughed. Jess frowned and tried to figure out what he was talking about. Then he remembered talking to the two men who had wanted to buy off the place; obviously Mr. Crawford wasn't a believer in ghosts.

"Of course he's not. He's not the type," Leslie said as though she had read his thoughts.

Damien looked from Jess to his Dad.

"You made that up?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah," Jess shrugged.

"That's brilliant! Me and my dad were wondering who could've made those old creeps that frightened," Damien said as he started to laugh.

"Good job," Mr. Crawford said to Jess, smiling widely. Jess, though not quite ready to accept them, had a feeling this family wouldn't be so bad after all.

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**A/N Hello! Thank you a billion times over for my reviews!! I will really try to write and post more soon. But until then, peace out:-D**


	13. Chapter 13

After a few days, school started again. Jess found himself walking with Damien to and from the bus. At first Jess was reluctant to talk to him, but soon found he and Damien had too many things in common to completely ignore each other. Jess still talked to Leslie, but not as often. She seemed not to mind and listened with rapt attention whenever he related a conversation back to her. It was on a cloudy afternoon when Jess was doing his homework and Leslie walked into his room.

"Jess," she said slowly and playing with her short hair.

"Yeah?" Jess asked as he looked up from his work.

"You know how we were wondering the other day why I was sent back?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jess said slowly dropping his pencil to the bed.

"I think…I think I might have found out why." Jess sat up with new interest.

"Maybe….maybe I was sent so you could find a friend," she said, finally meeting his eyes. It took a moment for this sentence to click in Jess's head.

"What?" he whispered hoarsely.

"You know. Maybe since you weren't doing so well…I had to come to put you back on track. Or something."

"So what happens when you put me back on track?" Jess laughed nervously.

"I …I go back to where I came from?" Leslie asked shrugging. Jess stood up from his bed with lightning speed.

"Leslie," he said firmly, "I don't have any friends. I'm not ever going to be put back on track. The only one I need is you."

"Ok. Ok. It was just an idea. Besides, I never said I would for sure," Leslie said smiling.

"Still. Let's not talk about it," Jess mumbled, crawling back onto his bed to finish his homework.

"Jess!" his mother shouted from downstairs. Jess sighed and rolled his eyes at Leslie.

"Coming!" he shouted back.

His mother was standing at the door and in the door stood Damien.

"Hi," Jess said placing his workbook that he had taken with him on the kitchen table.

"Hi. Listen, my dad wanted to know if you wanted to come to town with us and see a movie," Damien said excitedly. Jess smiled widely. He had never seen anything in the theaters before.

"Do you care?" Jess asked his mom who shook her head.

"Do you?" he asked Leslie who was standing on the stairs.

"I already said I didn't!" Jess's mother said looking at Jess as though he had gone insane. Jess ignored her and waited for Leslie's answer which came quickly.  
"Tell me all about it when you get back!" she said smiling.

"Cool. Thanks mom!" Jess shouted; he and Damien were already halfway out the door.

"Have fun," Mrs. Aaron's said at the boys retreating backs.

Damien ran ahead of Jess and turned around so he was walking backwards.

"So what do you want to see?" Damien asked.

"I don't know. I didn't know you could choose," Jess shrugged. Damien avoided running into a tree narrowly.

"Of course you can choose! Haven't you been to a theater before?"

"No," Jess muttered.

"That is all going to change soon. If you hang out with me, you're going to have a lot of new experiences," Damien laughed.

"Because I mean, we aren't just going to hang around outside all day. We'll go to town often and you can come with us if you like," Damien continued.

"What do you have against this place?" Jess asked exasperatedly.

"Nothing! It's just with nothing to do we'll have to drive a ways to do some things." Jess frowned and tried to control his words but they came out nonetheless.

"If you used your imagination, maybe it wouldn't be so hard to live out here."

"Ok, sorry. I didn't know you were touchy about the subject," Damien said backing off.

"I'm not touchy. But I think it's insane that you need a city to keep you happy."

"Well, don't you?"

"Obviously not," Jess said in a sing song voice. Damien punched Jess on the shoulder and soon the two were sparring and laughing.

"Come on, you two! Let's get outta here," Mr. Crawford said upon coming out of the house. Jess and Damien jumped off the dirt and bolted into the car.

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**Well, I think I'm almost done...which I really don't want to be. Sorry if this was a rushed chapter, please let me know if it was. Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Ok, so the first part is a bit rushed...buuut, I think I know what I'm going to do for the next chapter which is a good thing, because I'm getting interested again. Lol. **

**And I just want to thank you guys like a billion times over!!! I'm like soooo excited cuz I have 40 reviews!!!! I have never gotten so many good marks on my stories...well, I usually don't share loads of my stories...but that's sliding over the point. Lol, anyways: Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Ok, sorry this A/N is so long. You can read the story now :-D**

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Jess found that he couldn't quite keep his mind on the movie. His thoughts were elsewhere with Leslie. As Damien oo-ed and ah-ed on all the explosions, Jess found himself wishing he were back at home in Terabithia.

"Wasn't that awesome?" Damien exclaimed to Jess on the way back. Jess murmured something incomprehensible and turned to face the window. What if Leslie would go back? What was Jess going to do without her again?

"Hey, Jess, did you finish your homework for Thursday?" Damien asked.

"Yeah. No. I can't remember," Jess shrugged. Mr. Crawford laughed.

"That is such a typical answer for a teenager," he said. Jess smiled embarrassedly.

For the rest of the way home, Damien tried coaxing Jess into talking and finally succeeded when he banged his head against the window. After that, the conversation began to flow once more.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Jess said as he waved goodbye to Damien and his dad.

"See ya!" Damien cried back. As Jess turned towards his house, he noticed something was different. There was an extra car parked in the driveway. Jess's first reaction was that somebody had gotten hurt, but then he saw it was just an ordinary brown mustang. Hesitantly, Jess walked inside. Everyone fell silent as Jess walked in. He looked around to see who the visitor was, but his eyes first found sight of a little black and white dog under the table. The dog barked and ran towards Jess.

"P.T.?" Jess said laughing as he picked up the little rascal.

"Hello, Jess," a man's voice said. Jess looked up and found himself staring into the eyes of Leslie's dad, Bill. Jess stared at him for a moment before saying, "Hi."

"I see P.T. still hasn't forgotten you," Bill said smiling at the bundle of fur in Jess's arms.

"Yeah," Jess said slowly as his mind tried furiously to work out why Bill was here.

"Mr. Burke has come to see how we were doing," Mrs. Aarons said pointedly at Jess, obviously seeing the puzzled look on his face.

"I also came to see how the house is looking," Bill said looking out the window at his old home.

"Well, it's looking fine," Jess shrugged.

"I hope you've made more friends," Bill said concernedly. Jess purposely avoided Bill's eyes.

"I have lots of friends," he muttered. Jess's family was staring at the two with wide eyes. Jess was feeling very uncomfortable now.

"Why don't we…go outside," Bill said smiling sadly. Jess nodded and silently followed Bill out of the house.

"Judy and I were going through some of Leslie's things recently," Bill finally said when they reached the back of the house. Jess started.

"Why?" he asked, quite bluntly.

"We haven't found the strength or courage to go through it before now," Bill said quietly. Strength and courage? Why would Bill need strength and courage? Jess momentarily forgot that Leslie was dead to the rest of the world.

"We found this," Bill said pushing a package into Jess's hands, "and thought you might like to see it. There's other things in the car that you might enjoy as well." Jess stared at the package, which was now apparent to be a notebook.

"I'll get the other things as well," Bill said moving over to his parked car with P.T. at his heels. Bill pulled out quite a few drawing books and paint sets.

"I don't know if you're still interested in this sort of thing…" his voice trailed off.

"No, I still am," Jess assured him as he set the notebook on the porch and went to take the things from Bill's hands. After quietly flipping through the books for a few moments, Jess looked up and said,

"Bill….you don't have to give these to me."

"Don't be silly, Jess. I want to give them to you. You deserve them," Bill responded waving his hand in the air as if to brush away Jess's words. Suddenly Jess said,

"She's not gone you know."

"She'll always be in our memories, yes," Mr. Burke sighed. Jess stood up from the seat he had taken on the porch.

"That's not what I mean. I see her. She's in the house. She's been with me for…for a long time," Jess said eagerly. Bill put a hand on Jess's shoulder.

"Sometimes I think I see her too, Jess. It's natural for our minds to play tricks on us like that."

Jess shrugged him off.

"No. She talks to me…she's gone with me to the woods…countless times. She's here. In the house," Jess said, a pleading note in his voice. Bill looked at Jess with a pitiful expression on his face.

"It was nice to see you again, Jess," he whispered before heading back to his car. Jess stood on the porch and watched as Bill drove away.

"But she really is here," Jess whispered.


	15. Chapter 15

Jess took the things to his room and ignored the questions of his family. The paints were still like new, and the drawing books only had a few of Leslie's doodles in it. He smiled slightly as he saw a drawing that looked remarkably like a Terabithian. Finally he came to the notebook. He had no idea why this happened to be so special, but opened it up anyways. What he saw shocked him. Pages and pages of writing filled the book. Feeling guilty, Jess read the first entry.

_Dear notebook, _

_Today might be normal for some other kid, but for me it's like torture on a slightly smaller scale. My parents decided to move a few weeks ago and we just got done packing. I have no idea what I'm going to do without the friends I made, but I suppose I'll have to adjust. I just hope the kids at my new school aren't as mean as the last school I went to. _

Jess flipped through some more pages until he came to one marked: Jess Aarons.

_Dear notebook, _

_Today I saw a boy out running. Naturally I went to go investigate. His name's Jesse Aarons. He also happens to be my next door neighbor. I hope we can become friends. _

He smiled. She had no idea.

_Dear notebook, _

_School isn't that bad after all. Today I joined in the boys races at recess….I was the only girl in school would _dare_ do such a thing. They almost didn't let me come, but Jess made fun of one of the boys….Scott Hoager, I think his name was. After that, they left me alone. I felt really bad afterwards because I beat Jess. According to his sister May Belle, he had been working for a long time to get the title of the fastest kid in fifth grade. I feel bad I stole it from him. Now he won't even talk to me. I think he's mad at me. _

Jess laughed out loud at this. For one, he _had _been pretty upset with her. For another, trifles like that seemed of long ago. More flipping of pages and he reached the next entry.

_Dear notebook,_

_I've changed my mind. I hate this school and really don't want to go back tomorrow. Mom says I have to though. But on the plus side I earned Jess as a friend. Today everyone made fun of me all because my dad doesn't think it fitting to have a television set. I mean, who needs television!? Anyways, I got really upset and after school I made my way to the back of the bus, where supposedly, Janice Avery sits. How was I supposed to know? But Jess pulled me out of the way right before she creamed me. After that, we kind of clicked together. When we got home we decided to go out and explore the woods surrounding the area. I decided we should have a secret country all to ourselves and we named it Terabithia. _

Jess found he couldn't swallow without feeling as though he would begin to cry. He _hated_ that feeling…he was thirteen after all. But he couldn't help it.

_Dear Terabithians,_

_I've decided to write to you royal subjects now, as saying 'dear notebook' isn't nearly as interesting. I've loaned Jess all my books about secret countries so he'll know what it's supposed to be like in Terabithia. I must admit though, he's doing a wonderful job of being a king. He's a hard worker too, which is always a plus. We already have a mighty castle that scrapes the top of the skies with it's tall towers. _

Jess remembered that. They were his "lessons" as he and Leslie had jokingly called them.

_Dear Terabithians,_

_Janice Avery deserves to be shot. Today she fell on her own stupid accord and blamed Jess. The bus driver made him walk the rest of the way home and I thought it highly unprinicpalistic. I really don't even know if that's a word, but I don't exactly care either. _

Racking his brains, Jess tried to remember when Janice did that. Try as he might he couldn't. He shrugged. He flipped through more pages.

_Dear Terabithians,_

_Today, we have a new royal member joining Terabithia! Please bow your heads for the new Prince Terrien. Ok, so I got Jess a paint set, no big deal really. But he gave me a dog! My very own dog! We've decided to name him Prince Terrien…but he's really the court jester. _

He turned to the second to last entry, wondering what he would find.

_Dear Terabithians, _

_I think the weather despises us or something. It hasn't stopped raining. You should see the creek we swing across, it's getting really high and whenever we swing across it, our feet touch the water. I think it adds excitement to the place, but I'm not sure Jess feels the same way. He always looks really squeamish whenever we cross. _

Jess shut his eyes before forcing himself to read the last entry.

_Dear Terabithians,_

_I was really looking forward to going to Terabithia today with Jess. But he decided to go to some art museum with Mrs. Edmunds. I don't really mind, but I do wish he'd told me. It's all right though. I'm planning on going anyways after mom's done making breakfast. I wonder how high the creek got. Only one way to find out. _

And that was the end. After that, there had been no more Leslie to fill the pages. Jess closed his eyes and tried once again not to cry. After a few moments he heard something in his room.

"Go away!" he shouted as he threw the notebook at the door.

"Jess? Are you all right?" a soft voice asked. Jess opened his eyes to find Leslie standing there in front of his bed.

"No," he said angrily.

"What's wrong?" Leslie asked coming over to sit next to him.

"Why….why'd you have to die, Leslie?" Jess asked as tears rolled down his cheeks. Leslie sat there for a few moments before she noticed the notebook on the floor. She walked over to it and stared.

"Where did you get this?" she asked. Jess embarrassedly wiped his eyes before saying,

"Your….your dad gave it to me." Leslie looked at him.

"My dad?" she whispered.

"Yeah. He said I'd like it," Jess muttered.

"No doubt you would. Did you read all of it?" Leslie asked quietly.

"No. Only a few entries. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry!" Leslie laughed. "It's just there's things in there…..that I never thought any one else would read."

"You can have it back," Jess said sniffing slightly.

"Jess," Leslie said in a skeptical voice, "what am I going to do with my old notebook?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly. You can keep it….just read it when I'm not around. I really don't feel like blushing around you," Leslie chuckled. Jess didn't answer, but stared at the window.

"If you hadn't left….everything would be perfect," Jess murmured.

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**A/N: Ok, so the ending isn't brilliant(end of the chapter!) but please bear with me! Lol. So, it's official, I have like two more chapters and I'm done! Thanks so much for reading and I'll probably post the next chapter within a few days. I love you all!**


	16. Chapter 16

As the days passed, Jess thought more and more about Leslie. He knew that soon it would be time to move on and finally let Leslie go, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to think of losing her again. But he knew the time was soon. 

A week after Leslie's dad had given him the notebook, Jess was to be found at Damien's house at Damien's desk. The two were doing the homework their teacher had assigned. After a few hours of going over the complications of square roots, Jess finally spoke.

"Damien can I ask you something?" he asked looking up from his homework and over at Damien who was sprawled across his bed.

"What?" Damien asked turning over and putting most of his weight on his elbows.

"Do you…believe in….well, a second chance after you die? Or like… the person who dies comes back?" Jess asked fingering his pencil and wondering if he sounded completely insane.

To his surprise Damien said, quite eagerly, "Yeah. I've read loads of stories about kids or adults that have someone they were close to died. They can see the people that were dead. It's amazing really, but I can never tell if the people are telling the truth." Jess smiled. Damien always had lengthy explanations for everything. Before Damien could get going, however, Jess said,

"I think they were telling the truth."

"Well, one can never be sure."

"What if I told you….that I had seen someone who died?" Jess asked quietly. Damien dropped his pencil which he had been trying to balance on his fingertip and gaped at Jess.

"You what!?"

"Yeah…," Jess said in an off hand voice.

"Why haven't you ever told me? Who did you see?" Damien asked enthusiastically.

"A friend of mine. Her name was Leslie Burke."

"The daughter of the folks who lived here before us?" Damien asked.

"Yeah." Jess shrugged

"Wow. When did this start happening?"

"Like a few months ago. Sometimes she's real and other times she's just like….like air," Jess said and Damien could see thoughts running behind his eyes.

"Jess! That's so cool!" Damien shouted.

"I don't know if it is. I don't want to let go of her again," Jess said quietly. Damien clapped a hand on his friends shoulder.

"No one ever said you would have to let go," he said.

"But I know she has to leave sometime," Jess protested.

"She's only going to leave when she knows she did what she came to do….whatever that was," Damien said before turning back to the bed. Jess sighed; he felt like a huge load had come off his back by finally telling someone, but Damien hadn't helped much. What _had _Leslie come to do? Well, that was an easy question: to put him back on the road he had started on. And if that was the case….she had done her job, and done it well.

"Damien, I think I'm going to finish this at my house," Jess said after a moment.

"Ok. See you tomorrow," Damien replied, hardly looking up from his work. Jess put his things in his bag and set off down the stairs.

"Leaving so soon, Jess?" Mr. Crawford asked looking up from his newspaper.

"Yeah. I….I've got to do some chores," Jess lied.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Mr. Crawford said pleasantly. Jess was becoming known very well in the Crawford's household. When Jess got home, he went straight to his room where he hoped Leslie would be waiting. She surprisingly wasn't there, so Jess ran to Terabithia. Hurriedly he crossed the bridge and began to call her name.

"Leslie!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the over grown wood.

"Leslie, please!" She wouldn't have left him. She couldn't have….not when she knew how much he wanted her to stay.

"Leslie!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. It was no use, she didn't answer. Jess tried to breath normally but found he couldn't. How could she have done this?

"Jess? Jess what's wrong?" someone shouted back.

"Leslie?" Jess asked.

"What?" she asked coming into view.

"Don't do that!" he shouted in anger and happiness; how could he have though she would have left him?

"What did I do?" Leslie asked concernedly. Jess sighed and shook his head.

"I thought you'd left. You know, for good."

"Jess, why would I do that?" Leslie said in disbelief.

"Well, that was the whole reason I tried to find you…and I guess I got ahead of myself," Jess muttered embarrassedly.

"What do you mean that's why you came to find me? You're not really making any sense, Jess," Leslie frowned puzzled.

"Well….I think you….I mean…I think I'm ready to let go," Jess said quietly. Leslie stared at him before beaming.

"Are you serious?" she asked. Jess moved his head halfway between a nod and a shrug.

"I really shouldn't be happy…but I'm really excited for you!" she said. Jess laughed and went to go sit on a nearby log.

"I know. It's been….well, it's been a long three years."

"Don't worry. I won't leave just yet," Leslie laughed joyously.

"Come on, let's go fight the enemies the dark master has sent," Leslie grinned as she began to run around. Jess gleefully joined her and once again felt like a king.

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**A/N: WOOHOO!! I just completed my story tonight!! So that means you should get a chapter tomorrow morning and tomorrow afternoon and then...that's it! ha...ok, sorry I am so excited cuz this is the first story I have finished in a LONG time. Thanks so much for reviewing!!!**


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning came, and Jess knew it was time. He ate, did his chores around the house and, as usual, met Damien along the way.

"Come on, there's something moving around the house. I want to find out what it is," Damien said after Jess was done milking. Jess shook his head.

"I'll be there in a minute. There's….there's something I need to do first."

"Well, hurry up," Damien said before walking back to his house. Jess walked around to the back of the house where he set the milk down. Looking at the sky, he knew a storm was coming soon. Leslie walked up behind him.

"Bye, Jess," she said softly as the wind started to pick up. Jess looked into her green eyes for what he knew would be the last time.

"I love you, Leslie," he whispered stretching out his hand. Leslie put her transparent one against his and smiled.

"I'll never really leave you, you know," she said.

"It feels like it," Jess muttered, but smiled all the same.

"Now, oh king, thy queen must go. But you must continue to care for Terabithia with thy princess," Leslie said in her most royal voice.

"And you can even let Damien in on the secret if you want," she added in an afterthought.

"Tell Damien? A secret between me and you?" Jess asked in disbelief as he echoed May Bell's words from three years ago. Leslie smiled deviously.

"I can't pretend I didn't hope you'd say that," she said. Jess grinned at her.

She turned and began to run in the opposite direction.

"Leslie, wait!" Jess shouted. Her head turned and he saw her sparkling green eyes look questioningly at him.

"I'll never forget you!" he said. She laughed.

"That's good to know, Jess." Then she continued running as the wind swirled around her. Eventually she completely disappeared. Jess stared at the place where Leslie had been only moments before and wondered what life would be like without her again.

"Jess, come look! I found a raccoon!" Damien's voice reached Jess's ears as though from very far away. It was then that Jess knew, it was time to let go. He looked one last time where Leslie had run to, which happened to be in the direction of Terabithia, and sighed. It was a happy sigh.

"I'll never forget you," he whispered again before running to join Damien with his new discovery.

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**A/N: so, there you have it. The last chapter! Well, there's still an epilouge, though...haha. So sorry I haven't given this to you guys before! I was being lazy and not wanting to do it. **

**And don't worry, I'm going to say all my 'thank you's' in the epilouge. :-D**


	18. epilogue

Jesse Aarons took a last look at his final painting for the day. He had drawn it as an afterthought, but reflected it didn't look half bad. Well, of course it didn't look bad. He had done every detail in exact perfection…though he didn't like to boast. Everyone said he was one of the best painters in their small city, but Jess was determined not to let that get to his head. He wiped his hands on his smock and began to wash out his paint brushes. After he was finished, he looked back at the picture. Smiling slightly, he picked it up and placed it inside of a large closet in which he kept most of those kind of pictures. Those were the kind of pictures he spent the most time on, but made no money on. They were the pictures of his memories and of a kingdom that only two children ruled. So as he locked up and left, there was only one person to see the freshly painted portrait where two children stood hand in hand on a bridge. Only one person could know what the paintings meant to Jesse Aarons. And that person was a young girl by the name of Leslie Burke.

The End

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**A/N: Haha, I left some room for the reader to wonder a bit. :-D**

**Ok, so I want to thank cgirl0220 for being my first reviewer and whom without I probably wouldn't have continued after the first chapter :-D **

**xXBe.My.ObsessionxX for reviewing for nearly every chapter.**

**Picklehead for going and reading all seventeen chapters in one night. :-D**

**RiddleInTheMiddle, Jasuchin, Maschan, NarnianMelody, aprilpottersummerwind, pettyprincess, BradHeisler, Emachinescat, darkoracle, MadTom...and anyone who read my story but didn't review! You guys all ROCK! **

**I might be writing another Bridge to Terabithia story soon...I haven't quite decided yet. But until then,**

**Peace Out :-D**


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